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Tackling one-sidedness in equality and diversity research: Characteristics of the current dominant approach to managing diverse workgroups in Iran

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Abstract

The primary aim of this paper is to investigate whether equal opportunity and diversity pronouncements, both internally through organizations’ own administrative policies or externally through imposed governmental legislations, benefit those who are the main subject of such initiatives (i.e., employees). While a majority of current research on equality and diversity has been dominated by writings on developed and specifically Western nations, this paper tackles such one-sidedness in previous research and takes the current understanding further by providing employee perspectives on equality and diversity in employment to encompass less developed nations with a particular focus on Iran. Using a qualitative research approach data were collected from employees across two construction and manufacturing industries. Based on the analysis of the data, we found, first, shared religious beliefs and language to be envisaged as playing a crucial part in establishing the ethnic minority workers’ affiliation to a workgroup; second, the prospects for implementing declared equality and diversity polices to fade away as the employee began to work; and third, the adoption of diversity and equality policies to be primarily driven by (1) the dire state of the economy, and (2) the need for a mechanism to fit only the management priorities.

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Notes

  1. In 1999, State Expediency Council launched a series of roundtables on “Future Perspectives” that were later renamed “Future Vision,” which formed the basis of Iran’s strategic 20-Year Vision document. The 20-Year Vision is expected to shape all short-, mid-, and long-term policies for making Iran the top West Asian country economically, technologically, and culturally by 2025. The secretariat of State Expediency Council conducted research on the 20-Year Vision document untill 2002. After certain amendments by the leader, the document was approved and submitted to the three branches of the government in 2003. The first year for implementing the general policies of the 20-Year Vision was 2005 (see Iran’s 20-YearVision. Available online: http://www.mfa.gov.ir/cms/cms/Tehran/en/index.html. See also Ministry of Foreign Affairs. http://www.mfa.gov.ir/cms/cms/Tehran/en/EconomicPart/YearVision.html, Accessed April 2, 2010).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kent Business School, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7PE, UK

    Ebrahim Soltani

  2. Kent Business School, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7PE, UK

    Jawad Syed & Ying-Ying Liao

  3. Islamic Azad University (Dehdasht branch), Dehdasht, Iran

    Nasrollah Shahi-Sough

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  1. Ebrahim Soltani
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Correspondence to Ebrahim Soltani.

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The authors would like to thank the Editor-in-Chief Professor David Ahlstrom and the anonymous referees for their valuable comments. We also acknowledge the financial support of the University of Kent Business School.

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Soltani, E., Syed, J., Liao, YY. et al. Tackling one-sidedness in equality and diversity research: Characteristics of the current dominant approach to managing diverse workgroups in Iran. Asia Pac J Manag 29, 9–37 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-011-9259-3

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